Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 10:11-12

"Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-ir, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city)." — Genesis 10:11-12 (ASV)

Out of that land went forth Asshur. This is according to the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate. However, the Targum and most modern authorities correctly translate it as, “Out of that land he went forth into Assyria.” We are not concerned here with Asshur the son of Shem . Instead, our focus is on Nimrod and the Hamites, who, after firmly establishing themselves in Babylonia, subsequently extended their influence northward.

This expansion is confirmed by the cuneiform inscriptions, which prove that the southern portion of Mesopotamia was the main center of the Accadians. In Assyria, they came into conflict with the Shemites at an early date; the Shemites drove them back and ultimately subjugated them everywhere. It is not necessary to assume that this spread of Hamite civilisation northward was the personal work of Nimrod; if done by his successors, it would, in biblical language, be attributed to its original instigator.

The Assyrian cities were:

1. Nineveh. It was so fortunately situated on the Tigris that it surpassed the more ancient Babylon, and for centuries even held it in subjection.
2. The City Rehoboth. This was translated by some as Rehoboth-Ir, but with more probability by others as “the suburbs of the city”—that is, of Nineveh—thus already indicating the greatness of that town.
3. Calah. This city was rebuilt by Assur-natzir-pal, the father of Shalmaneser, and is interesting as one of the places where the Assyrian kings established libraries (Chald. Gen., p. 26). The ruins are still called Nimroud.
4. Resen. This name means “the spring-head.” Nothing certain is known about this town. Canon Rawlinson places it at Selamiyah (Anc. Mon., 1:204), a large village halfway between Nineveh and Calah. Since the vast ruins scattered throughout Mesopotamia are those of Assyrian buildings, Resen, though “a great city” in Hamite times, might easily have passed into oblivion if it was never rebuilt by the conquerors.